N.D. Oil Patch Ambulance Services Seek Staffing Help

PARSHALL (AP) - Four ambulance services in the western North Dakota oil patch have formed a nonprofit group to seek grant money that can be used to hire part-time staff to fill scheduling gaps.

Ambulance calls in the oil patch have increased nearly 60 percent since 2006, compared with 5 percent in the rest of the state, according to the state Health Department. Ambulance volunteers in the region say they can't even leave town for a weekend because there is no one available to cover shifts for them.

"The volunteers are so active and putting in so much they really need some relief," said Lynn Hartman, administrative director for Dickinson Area Ambulance.

Only three of the 44 ambulance services in oil-producing counties have fully paid staff.